Today marks day 22 of the legislative session, and as we move deeper into the session calendar, bills have begun to advance from committee onto the floor for general file debate. In total, 715 bills were introduced this session, and as of this week, 36 have advanced for debate in front of the full legislature. In this middle portion of the legislative year, we’ll have morning floor debate, followed by afternoon committee hearings through March 28. After that, the legislature will switch to all day debate through June 2.
Among the bills that have an upcoming hearing are the budget package, headlined by LB264, which will be heard by the Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, February 18 at 1:30. This is the first step in the process that will see the budget placed on General File by April 29, with debate scheduled for May 6 through May 15. The Greater Omaha Chamber remains committed to ensuring that the interests of Omaha are properly represented in this budget, including protecting programs that Nebraska businesses rely on to stay competitive in the state and global marketplace.
As part of this, we’d encourage everyone to join us March 7th from 7:30am to 9:00am for our inaugural Politics and Eggs breakfast event at the Omaha Regency Marriott. The breakfast will provide a chance to meet with local and state elected officials who shape the policies that impact your business and community. We’ll also be sharing legislative updates and the thought behind them, with a chance to engage in dynamic conversations about the future of our region. If you’re interested in registering, you can do so at this link.
A critical bill we’re supporting is LB415, introduced by Senator Ballard (District 21-Lincoln). This legislation is part of the implementation of the Paid Sick Leave Initiative that voters approved in November. While ballot measures are necessarily concise and deal with a broad issue concept, in practice, this leaves a huge amount of uncertainty for employers as they look to implement their compliance around the new sick leave standards. LB415 seeks to clarify implementation questions, by defining many of the questions we’ve heard from Omaha businesses, such as when employees start accruing sick time, how much sick time needs to be paid out, and how employees can request paid sick time. Simply put, without these clarifications, compliance for paid sick leave would create unworkable confusion for both employers and employees. It’s important to note that Nebraska voters have clearly spoken on this issue, and LB415 does not seek to alter that.
Another upcoming bill of interest is LB449, introduced by Senator Fredrickson (District-20, Omaha). Currently, the Nebraska Department of Transportation is split into eight field districts, with Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge and Washington Counties located in District 2. Despite providing over 40% of the total revenue to the Department of Transportation Highway system, District 2 receives the lowest spending per capita of any of the state’s highway districts. This bill seeks to start the conversation about the way the state allocates its highway funding dollars and to evaluate if any changes need to be made in that assessment. LB449 has a hearing on Monday, February 10 at 1:30pm in front of the Transportation Committee.
If you’re interested in these bills, or any other legislative issues, we’d love to hear from you. While your Greater Omaha Chamber Public Policy team is hard at work right now at the State Capitol working to strengthen our business climate, never hesitate to share your insights with us on your state legislative priorities at advocacy@omahachamber.org.